| HESA Hamaseh | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle and Unmanned combat aerial vehicle (armed variant)
Type of aircraft
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| National origin | Iran |
| Manufacturer | Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) |
| Design group | HESA |
| First flight | ? |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Iranian Armed Forces |
| Produced | 2013–present? |
| Number built | 30 (2013)[1] |
The HESA Hamaseh (Persian: حماسه, romanized: Ḥamāseh, lit. 'Epic') is an Iranian tactical and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with high flight endurance built by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA).[2] The Hamaseh was unveiled in 2013 and entered service in 2016.
The Hamaseh is a single engine, twin-boom UAV.[3] The UAV features a bulbous forward radome; this was later reduced in size as the UAV was developed. The Hamaseh entered service with Iran in 2016.[3]
The Hamaseh can carry up to 185 kg of fuel, equipment, and payload, and has an endurance of up to 11 hours depending on configuration.[2] It is launched via runway takeoff or JATO,[2] and is recovered by runway landing or, in emergencies, a parachute.[3] The Hamaseh can follow pre-determined waypoints to control its flight.[2] Its powerplant is unknown.[3]
The Hamaseh can carry synthetic aperture radar, radar or communications jammers, and a camera. For weapons, it can carry small bombs, grenades, or rockets.[3]
The Hamaseh drone was unveiled on 9 May 2013. Ahmad Vahidi, Iran's defense minister, claimed the drone "with its stealth quality can avoid detection by the enemy."[citation needed] The Hamaseh was also claimed to be a High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) platform, despite being a tactical UAV.[4] The Hamaseh at its unveiling ceremony was "equipped" with what appeared to be munitions, but they were physically bolted to the wings, not mounted on hardpoints.[4]
The Hamaseh was first used during military exercises by the IRGC Ground Forces in April 2016.[4]
In 2017 HESA offered the Hamaseh for export.[3]
IranData from Иранская экспозиция на МАКС-2017. Часть.2[2][a]
General characteristics
Performance
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